Safeguarding the environmental interest

This chapter examines the response of various sectors of environmental interest to the development of North Sea oil and gas fields within the United Kingdom sector. The environment is addressed in the widely understood sense of the physical features and biological communities of sea and land. The main problems anticipated in the early 1970s for offshore, inshore and onshore environments are examined. The main approaches available to safeguard the environment against these impacts were the incorporation of safeguards in forward planning ahead of development, scrutinising individual development proposals and rejecting or accepting them with safeguards and, thirdly, working with the industry in the development and operational process to minimise impact. The application of these approaches by the various bodies involved is reviewed. Finally, an assessment of the actual environmental effects, based on a number of research studies, is given. (UK)